'Sugar daddy' paid minor for sex, threatened to post her explicit videos online
Despite knowing the 17-year-old girl has a history of being suicidal, he later extorted her into sending him another sexually explicit video after threatening to report her for drug abuse.
Muhammad Ruzaini Hassan also threatened to upload her other videos onto a porn website.
On July 2, the 33-year-old Singaporean was sentenced to three years and 10 weeks' jail, and ordered to receive three strokes of the cane.
He had pleaded guilty to one count each of extortion and obtaining paid sexual services from a minor below 18 years old.
Court documents stated that before he committed the offences, the girl's sex videos and her personal details were unwillingly leaked online in or around April 2022.
Around the same time, Ruzaini joined a group on Telegram where members shared obscene videos with one another, and came across a video of the girl performing a sexual act.
Without verifying her age, he contacted her via Telegram, offering to be her "sugar daddy" and pay her $1,500 a month.
In addition, he offered to give the girl another $1,500 as a one-time payment if she agreed to have unprotected sex with him and accompany him for an entire day.
Ruzaini also asked the girl for sexually explicit videos of herself and agreed to pay her $100 for each clip.
The teenager agreed to his proposals, and they met around three times at different locations to take part in sexual activities.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Gladys Lim told the court that on May 21, 2022, the pair went to a Jalan Besar hotel and Ruzaini paid the victim $800 in exchange for sexual acts.
The girl was also involved in a case with the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) and told Ruzaini that she was abusing drugs at the time, the prosecutor added.
In May 2022, Ruzaini wanted to obtain sexually explicit videos from her for free and used another Telegram account to contact the girl, who did not know that he was the one behind the messages.
DPP Lim said: "The accused asked the victim to send him a video of herself (performing a sexual act). When she refused, he threatened her by saying that he knew about her drug activities and would pass her information to CNB."
"He also told the victim that he knew information about her, such as her school and which year she was in. To prove that the accused really did know such information, he (correctly) told her that she was a Year 1 student at a particular school."
Ruzaini "doubled down" when the girl continued to turn down his request, telling her that he had a video of her smoking Ice. He also threatened to upload her other sex videos onto a porn website.
When the girl said he was extorting her, he replied that while he might get charged with the offence, she would be sent to a drug rehabilitation centre.
In desperation, the victim said she would kill herself, only to have Ruzaini taunting her by saying that she was "forever suicidal", the prosecutor added.
The victim finally complied out of fear and sent him the video.
The police later found out that Ruzaini could be procuring paid sex with a minor below 18 years old and officers arrested him in January 2024.
On July 2, the prosecutor urged the court to sentence him to up to four years and 12 weeks' jail with up to six strokes of the cane.
She said: "The accused targeted an especially vulnerable victim. He knew that the victim was suicidal and even had been admitted to a girls' home prior for her depression and suicidal tendencies."
Ruzaini's bail has been set at $20,000, and he is expected to begin serving his sentence on July 16.
Helplines
Mental well-being
Institute of Mental Health's Mental Health Helpline: 6389-2222 (24 hours)
Samaritans of Singapore: 1-767 (24 hours) / 9151-1767 (24 hours CareText via WhatsApp)
Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019
Silver Ribbon Singapore: 6386-1928
Chat, Centre of Excellence for Youth Mental Health: 6493-6500/1
Women's Helpline (Aware): 1800-777-5555 (weekdays, 10am to 6pm)
The Seniors Helpline: 1800-555-5555 (weekdays, 9am to 5pm)
Counselling
Touchline (Counselling): 1800-377-2252
Touch Care Line (for caregivers): 6804-6555
Counselling and Care Centre: 6536-6366
We Care Community Services: 3165-8017
Shan You Counselling Centre: 6741-9293
Clarity Singapore: 6757-7990
Online resources
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
AsiaOne
4 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Russian air defences shoot down four drones headed for Moscow, mayor says, World News
Russian air defences shot down four Ukrainian drones headed for Moscow on Saturday (July 5), the city's mayor said, while one of the capital's main airports temporarily halted outgoing flights. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said emergency services were working at the sites of the downed drones, but gave no information on potential damage. Russia's Defence Ministry, in a report on Telegram, said air defence units had destroyed 48 Ukrainian drones in a period of just over five hours into Saturday evening. Those included five drones in the region surrounding Moscow, two of which were headed for the capital. The Defence Ministry report said the total included 17 drones over Bryansk Region on the Ukrainian border and 11 in adjacent Oryol Region. The governor of Belgorod Region on the border said four Ukrainian drones had injured a bus driver and a man driving a car. An earlier Defence Ministry report said 94 drones had been destroyed over Russia overnight on Saturday and 45 more in just under six hours during the day. [[nid:719877]] Officials at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport reported delays in departures after flights were temporarily paused. Civil Aviation Authority Rosaviatsiya said the measures were taken in response to "restrictions" over the capital's airspace as well as strong winds. Rosaviatsiya said incoming and outgoing flights at airports in several other Russian cities were also temporarily halted, including at St Petersburg's Pulkovo airport, citing safety concerns.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
Ukraine says it hit Russian military airfield
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox KYIV - Ukraine's special forces struck Russia's Borisoglebsk military airfield in the Voronezh region on Saturday, hitting a glide bomb store and a trainer aircraft, the Ukrainian military said in a statement on social media. The military said that other aircraft were also likely hit, without giving details. "This airfield is the home base of enemy Su-34, Su-35S and Su-30SM aircraft," the statement said. The governor of Voronezh, Alexander Gusev, wrote on Telegram that more than 25 drones were destroyed over the region overnight. He said a power line was temporarily damaged, but made no mention of a military airfield. REUTERS
Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
Fewer people caught venturing off designated trails in nature spaces: NParks
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox A cyclist was in a restricted area of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve when he was hit on June 15. SINGAPORE - Hikers and bikers caught straying off designated trails in nature spaces have become rarer in recent years, the National Parks Board (NParks) told The Straits Times. The number of such cases that the board has taken enforcement action against has fallen from about 430 cases in 2021, when the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions hampered travel , to roughly 85 in 2024, said NParks' group director of conservation Lim Liang Jim. The risk of such activities surfaced in June after a man was hit by a bullet slug while cycling with his friends along a popular unofficial cycling route in an area closed off to the public in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. Mr Lim said enforcement action is taken against visitors who disregard signs and opt to go off-trail, the bulk of whom are handed fines and warnings. Only a handful are prosecuted in court. The latest case to conclude involved a man who was fined $11,000 in 2021 for taking a dog into a nature reserve, trespassing into an area at Upper Peirce Reservoir and other offences. However, enforcement only reveals the tip of the iceberg, noted nature guides and consultants, when recalling their encounters with such trespassers during wildlife surveys. Nature guide Ivan Kwan of Nature Adventures SG said that as part of his work conducting nocturnal fauna surveys, he has encountered 'quite a few groups' within Windsor Nature Park, even though walking in the park is prohibited after 7pm. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore CPF members can make housing, retirement and health insurance plans with new digital platform Singapore From temples to towers: Old memories collide with new money in Geylang Singapore Clans of Geylang: The fight for survival and revival Asia Magnitude 5.4 quake shakes south-western Japan islands as temblors continue Singapore Tan Cheng Bock and Hazel Poa step down from PSP leadership Life 'I applied to over 300 jobs': What people wish they knew before they got laid off Asia Dream wheels, Malaysian deals: Singaporean car lovers find affordable indulgence across the border Asia How a Singaporean heatproofs himself to cope with 40 deg C summer in Chongqing He said: 'When we confronted them, and told them that they're not supposed to be entering the nature park at night, they pleaded ignorance and left immediately. 'However, it does raise the question of how often this happens on other nights when we're not around'. Other hotspots include Rifle Range Nature Park, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Chestnut Nature Park. Even with the decline in cases, every errant visitor runs the risk of endangering themselves and causing lasting damage to their surroundings and the wildlife that live there. Mr Lim said visitors who stray from designated trails risk injuring themselves by getting lost, falling down and encountering wildlife like hornets. He also noted that getting help in such situations can be hampered due to the difficulty of pinpointing their exact locations. In 2021, a man hiking an unmarked trail was trapped in a ditch for about 90 minutes after misjudging its depth, and officers from the Singapore Civil Defence Force had to trek about 2km to locate him. Wandering off the beaten path can take a toll on the untouched spaces enjoyed by thrill-seekers. Said Mr Lim: 'Going off-trail may cause damage to the forest floor beside the paths or trails. 'Human activity in these areas can also affect animal movement, or result in trampling of plant saplings, some of which could be endangered species.' Singapore Wildcat Action Group co-director Vilma D'Rozario, who has bumped into cyclists in restricted zones during biodiversity surveys, said bikers riding off-trail, usually at high speed, run the risk of running over wildlife and killing them. The cyclists she encountered turned back after they were instructed to leave, but some have been known to return to these areas when 'they feel the coast is clear', she added. She said: 'The nature reserve is 'on reserve'; for a reason – to protect our precious biodiversity, several species of which, like the leopard cat, are critically endangered.' While wandering off the trail is acceptable in some countries, Singapore's green spaces are too small to accommodate 'free for all' usage, said founder of nature outreach group Untamed Paths Dennis Chan. Conservationists suggested that more intensive education efforts and employing community rangers could help deter people from straying. Mrs Shamla Subaraj, who runs Strix Wildlife Consultancy, said: 'Given the recent incidents and safety concerns, more signage noting the risks of entering these nature areas after a stipulated time is needed.' Both she and Dr D'Rozario called for park rangers to patrol the nature reserves, with the option of citizen conservationists joining these patrols as a volunteer. Alternatively, a middle ground could be found for undeterred thrill-seekers in unofficial routes that do not harm wildlife, suggested Mr Chan. He said: 'For those popular 'off trail' routes, perhaps NParks can consider opening it seasonally or running guided nature walks from time to time, like how they do with Chek Jawa Wetlands. 'A more grassroots approach would be to directly engage the different communities that tend to go off-trail and perhaps explore alternative routes or options for these groups.' Those caught straying off designated trails in nature reserves can be fined up to $2,000.
